Salter-Harris type III fractures of the medial distal femoral physis--a fracture pattern related to the closure of the growth plate: report of 3 cases and discussion of pathogenesis.

Salter-Harris type III fractures of the medial femoral condyle in adolescents are uncommon injuries.(2,6) They are caused by a valgus force to the knee and have been reported secondary to sports injuries and motor vehicle accidents.(1,2,6-8,11) These fractures can be minimally displaced and may require stress radiographs or MRI for diagnosis. They start at the medial physis and exit into the joint near the intercondylar notch. This pattern of fracture may be caused by the sequence of closure of the distal femoral physis and is therefore similar to the juvenile Tillaux fracture of the distal tibia. The purpose of this paper is to report on 3 teenage athletes with Salter-Harris III distal femur fractures and propose a mechanism of injury related to the sequence of closure of the distal femoral physis in the adolescent patient.